Northside and OTR
get a lot of neighborhood love, but Walnut Hills is quickly becoming yet
another hot spot for local businesses, art galleries, shopping and more.
Support the Hills Friday and check out the Walk on Woodburn
from 6-9 p.m. Neusole
Glassworks will have a mobile glass-blowing truck, there will be plenty of live
music performances and caroling, Queen City Cookies will be hawking delicious
edible art and pop-up shops will be joining area businesses for all your holiday shopping needs. Read Her Magazine’s feature on the women of
Woodburn here.

This year has been
an a amazing time to live and work in Over-the-Rhine. Businesses, restaurants
and bars are opening every week, Washington Park’s revitalization has been a
success and the area is truly becoming a destination for locals and visitors
alike. On Friday, OTR will shine — and not just figuratively —with luminaries
for the third annual Light Up OTR
event. Volunteers will illuminate the streets beginning at 6 p.m., followed by
the lighting of the OTR tree at Kaze (new sushi spot opening next week at 1400
Vine St.) at 10 p.m.

Make Covington Pop
and Renaissance Covington keep the local love flowing as they present the first
annual 7th Street Makers MarketFriday and Saturday. This festival
features area artists, bakers, farmers and business owners as they show off
their handmade and homegrown goods. Purchase gifts or goodies for yourself and enjoy
free gift wrapping at Artisan’s
Enterprise Center (AEC). Come hungry on Friday — there will be a food truck
happy hour outside AEC. The fun runs 5-8 p.m. Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday.

Street style is rapidly
gaining attention in the fashion world. No longer is fashion defined as
couture on a runway model — everyday folks are showing off their personal
style and flair all around cities, especially Cincinnati. Rise of the Cool Kids
(#ROCK) is a celebration of individual style, art and music and it all goes
down Saturday at the Bertke Electric Warehouse in Northside. Guests will get to
be a part of Cincy’s first projected fashion show, filmed in advanced,
featuring local designers and fashionistas. It all kicks off at 7 p.m. and is
followed by an after-party at FB’s downtown (there will also be a free shuttle
going to and from each location.) Get tickets here.

On Saturday, Third
Party Gallery
presents a third installment of its monthly
experimental film program, Staring Eyes. “Yule Logs and
Certain Types of Nog” will feature eclectic holiday-themed screenings — no Miracle on 34th Street here.
The event begins at 8 p.m.

One year ago today, the home of Shannon DeBra, founder of the all-foster rescue Recycled Doggies, caught on fire. Thirteen dogs and one cat died as a result, and Recycled Doggies faced a tremendous setback. Tonight, on the tragedy's anniversary, animal lovers everywhere are invited to attend a benefit, give what you can and support the organization and all its foster families and volunteers. Head over to Star Lanes at the Levee for a silent auction, raffles, happy hour specials and, of course, plenty of bowling fun. Go here to RSVP to the event, which runs from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

CANstruction kicked off today, with teams building artistic creations made entirely out of canned goods. Stop by the Weston Gallery to see their progress and drop off canned goods of your own. All donations, and all cans used to build the artwork, will go to the Freestore Foodbank.

Crazy! Cool. No, I'm not talking about TLC's 1994 album, I'm talkin' 'bout West Side
Story. The Bernstein and Sondheim hit is alive and well 55 years after
its debut on Broadway. The Jets and Sharks put any Crosstown Shootout
rivalries to shame, and in this revived version, audiences can expect a
grittier tale with more Hispanic influence. The classic runs at the
Aronoff Center through March 11. Find details here.

Every Tuesday is Writer's Night at MOTR Pub. Songwriters, poets, spoken word artists — anyone with original work is welcome to share. Sign ups open at 8:30 p.m. and $40 goes to a special winner each week. Lucas of The Dukes Are Dead hosts. Enjoy a beer, a BLT and great company.

Honey in Northside offers a $10 comfort food menu every Tuesday. Choose from homestyle favorites like fish and chips, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, chicken stew with dumplings and more. It's a great chance to try the local spot if you've never been and you're on a budget. Peep our full review of Honey here.

Check out our To Do page for tons of recommended art shows open today.

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival opens tonight at Duke Energy Convention Center. More than 600 varieties from 100 wineries will be at your disposal during the grand tastings tonight, tomorrow afternoon and tomorrow evening. There will also be live music, a silent auction and plenty of food to soak up that alcohol. This is a pricey event, but it's a chance to taste wines from across the globe. Go here for tickets.

Is beer more your style? The folks who brought us Cincy Winter Beerfest just a couple weeks ago present All About Stout Fest Saturday at Molly Malone's Irish Pub in Covington. For $15, guests get five tastings, one full pint of choice and a souvenir pint glass. There are 25 stouts to choose from, plus Molly's 18 draft beers on tap. With live Irish music to keep you movin', consider this your dress rehearsal for St. Patrick's Day. Find a full beer list and ticket information here.

Though we live in a city with limited access to independent, art house and foreign films (the Esquire can only do so much!) Cincy World Cinema brings us some much-needed film opportunities, like this weekend's Oscar Shorts. Saturday and Sunday, CWC hosts an exclusive screening of Academy Award nominated live-action and animated short films. Enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and the rare opportunity to see these films on the big screen, in one day. Many screenings have sold out, so go here to purchase yours.

Final Fridays are to OTR as Second Saturdays are to Northside. As usual, all are encouraged to explore the neighborhood's bars, restaurants, galleries and businesses for extended hours, later happy hours, art openings and sales starting at 6 p.m. Find a full list of participating venues here.

Springtime brings the start of everyone's favorite spectator sport. No, not baseball, roller derby! The Cincinnati Rollergirls open their seventh season with a double-header against the Arch Rival Roller Girls of St. Louis Saturday. Head down to the Cincinnati Gardens early for free parking and tailgating, then enjoy $1 happy hour beers beginning at 6 p.m., when the doors open. The Cincinnati Junior Rollergirls, featuring mini badasses age 8-17 (isn't that kind of a crazy age range?) make their debut during halftime. General admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door ($15/$17 for trackside seats). If you haven't been to a roller derby since the '90s, it's exciting, cheap and the sport is really fun to get into. You'll be getting rowdy in no time! Go here for tickets.

Tickets to Radiohead's June concert at Riverbend go on sale at 10 a.m. tomorrow. If you're planning on snagging a pair, you should probably camp out tonight.

Of course, there's also tons of live music, theater, art shows and more events going on this weekend. Find all our To Do recommendations here.

Thanks to the Contemporary Arts Center's current music video exhibition, Spectacle, a number of talented musicians, artists and directors have flocked to Cincinnati during the past two months to perform and discuss the power of music videos in our culture. Tonight, director Vincent Morisset stops by to screen Inni, his powerful black-and-white film about Icelandic Pop Rock group Sigur Rós. Morisset will then discuss his work with Sigur Rós and Arcade Fire and take questions. The event begins at 6:30 — come early to check out the Spectacle exhibit if you haven't yet. The screening and talk are free for members, $7.50 museum admission for non-members.

It's Final Friday and last year's popular monthly OTR Skate is back! Don your best hot pants and tube socks and roll over to the OTR Recreation Center for a night of old-school fun with a hip twist. Bust a move on the rink to the music of Automagik and You, You're Awesome. Admission is just $5 (skate rental included) and goes to the Rec Center to provide youth programs and scholarships for area kids. Enjoy free Vitamin Water and classic game room attractions like air hockey and foosball. Been a decade or two since you last laced up those skates? Cincinnati Rollergirls will be on hand for some pro tips. The fun begins at 8 p.m.

Northside's Building Value presents its third annual ReUse-apalooza tonight from 7-11 p.m. Learn about how the nonprofit reuses materials and what you can do to promote sustainable building practices. Music will be provided by Messerly and Ewing and there will be a silent auction featuring Building Value projects. Tickets are $20, $50 VIP. After the benefit, head over to Northside Tavern for a free after-party.

If you've checked out our cover story this week, you know about the steampunk movement that's taken flight locally. What started as a literary genre that mixes Victorian history with futuristic fantasy elements a la Jules Verne is know an underground culture with its own music, art, costuming and performance aspects. This weekend marks the first Steampunk Symposium at Tri-County's Atrium Hotel. While weekend passes are sold-out, Saturday one-day tickets will be available at the door for $20. Whether you're a diehard steampunk or just curious about the movement, this quirky event has something for everyone. Saturday's schedule includes various steampunk bands and authors, a midnight masquerade, workshops, fashion shows, a mustache parade, verbal dueling (a battle of wits) and dozens of other activities. Various events run from 10 a.m. until around 2 a.m. Read more about the culture and find a Saturday lineup here.

May is Bike Month and the Main Library downtown kicks off the cycling celebration Saturday with a bike expo. Check out various bicycle exhibits, meet organizers from groups like MoBo Bicycle Coop, Queen City Bike and League of American Bicyclists and meet Bobbi Montgomery, author of Across America by Bicycle. Get all the information you need to become a regular cyclist about town. The expo runs from 2-4 p.m. Go here for more details.

The Cincinnati Opera will perform the highly anticipated Southern-inspired George Gershwin hit Porgy and Bess in June, but you don't have to wait until summer to get in on the excitement. Saturday's Opera Gala, "A Hot Night in Charleston" will transport Duke Energy Convention Center's Grand Ballroom into the Pametto State with soul food, cocktails, music and dancing. After you've had your fill of Southern-style eats, stick around for the after-party, "Late Night in Charleston." Being a benefit for the Opera, tickets for the Gala are pretty steep ($250, $175 for first-timers); If you're on a budget, consider coming for the after-party, which runs from 10 p.m.-1 a.m. — tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres will begin being serves at 6:30 p.m.

Add a little cuteness to your weekend with the Ohio Alleycat Resource & Spay/Neuter Clinic open house Sunday. The facility has been yarn bombed by the Cincinnati BombShells to welcome new cats ready for adoption. If you're looking for a new cuddle buddy, consider adopting one of OAR's rescue kitties at the event. The free open house runs 1-4 p.m. Go here for more details, directions and more info on donations and volunteer opportunities.

When Tim Haines
purchased the Mohawk Building on Central Parkway in 2012, he understood that he
would probably need to sort through some abandoned items in the space,
particularly leftover stock in the old Castner Picture Frame Company
warehouse. But he was surprised to find hundreds of thousands of vintage frames
and equipment left behind. Now, he and close friend Janet Baltzersen are
working to clear the space, selling these rare gems (many of which date back to
the 1920s) for next to nothing. This Sunday, they will host and open house sale
in the warehouse from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Come dressed appropriately (some rooting
around is required and much of the stock has been untouched for decades,
resulting in quite a bit of dust) — Baltzersen will provide gloves and masks
plus cocktails and snacks. Artists, antiquers and vintage-lovers will find a
huge variety of shapes, styles and sizes of frames like small ovals, large rustic
circles, gesso and antique gold finishes. The
warehouse is located on the south end of the building at 2145 Central Parkway.
For more information or to schedule a private viewing, contact Baltzersenat jbaltzersen@zoomtown.com. Read our full story here.

CincyMusic.com
photographers have gathered some of their favorite performance pics for
Friday’s Concert Photography Showcase. Hosted by Know Theatre, the exhibit will feature photos of shows in
Cincinnati including Bunbury and MPMF, taken by photographers Brian Bruemmer,
Mike Clare, Phil Dawson, Jacob Drabik, Julia Huber, Sarah McDermott, Kelly
Painter and Matt Steffen. Swing by Know between 5:30-8 p.m. tonight for the
reception; snacks and a cash bar will be available.

Craft Supermarket
is always a fun shopping experience, but it’s also a great display of local and
regional talent. Saturday’s Crafty Supermarket Holiday Show will be chock full
of handmade gifts (or goodies for yourself) for purchase in addition to
hands-on activities for attendees to get their craft on. The show runs 11
a.m.-6 p.m. in the Music Hall Ballroom. As always, the first 100 early bird
shoppers will receive fun swag bags. Find vendor info and more show details
here.

Vinyl addicts
cannot miss the Northside Record Fair
Saturday. Record shop owners, collectors and dealers will all meet under one
roof (Northside Presbyterian Church) from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $5 — $10
for early entrance at 10 a.m. CDs, cassettes, 8-tracks, poster and more music
goodies will also be for sale.

Halloween is no
longer a one-night event just for kids. Like many holidays, Halloween’s reach
goes beyond Oct. 31 (I’m pretty sure I saw costumes descend into stores
mid-August), giving us grownups a chance to dress up and act out. This
(Hallo)weekend features events that celebrate all the weird, wonderful and
freaky aspects of our favorite holiday.

If staged dance
performances weren’t what you had in mind, think again. While not necessarily
Halloween-related, Cincinnati Ballet’s ALICE
(in Wonderland) will take audiences on a whimsical journey down the rabbit
hole Friday-Sunday. In addition to talented dancers and music by the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra,
the costume and set designs are truly freaky-fabulous.

For a darker dance
experience, check out Exhale Dance Tribe’s one-night engagement, Dead
Can Dance. The troupe has transformed Emery Theatre into a haunted
house, where dancers will lead spectators from room to room, creating an
interactive, spooky show Saturday night. The performance begins at 7 p.m.

After a month of bringing
photography to the forefront of the Cincinnati art scene, FotoFocus will close
with Saturday’s Carnevil. The event boasts a full bill of entertainment from
live music and DJs to improv and burlesque to fortune-tellers. Guests are
encouraged to explore the venue, Newport’s Thompson House — which is said to be
haunted — and hunt for spirits from Southgate’s past. Find tickets and event
details here.

What’s creepier
than three identical mute men, covered in paint? Blue Man Group wraps up its local run with performances at the
Aronoff Center Friday-Sunday. The show is an energetic spectacle that theater critic
Rick Pender describes as “a strange and wonderful communal experience.” Go here to read
our full review.

Judging by the
number of Halloween bar and club events, alcohol is the “candy” of choice for
many adult trick-or-treaters. So it looks like Arnold’s picked the perfect
weekend for The Bourbon Ball.The bar will be stocked with more than 30 top
shelf selections, offering specials on Manhattans, Old Fashioneds and other
bourbon classics as well as bourbon-infused bites like Bourbon Bacon Strips and
Bourbon Sauce Pork. The free event will also have swag bags and live music all
night.

Final Saturday
means Night Owl Market
is back, bringing food trucks and vendors together at the parking lot at Main
Street and Central Parkway. In addition to late night eats, NOMers can
participate in a costume contest and a flash mob-style “Thriller” dance with
Pones Inc. The free fun runs 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Saturday.

One thing that’s
definitely scarier than any haunted house or paranormal activity hotspot is
breed discrimination. Show some love to dogs that prove no breed is born “vicious”
at Bark Bash:
Celebrating National Pit Bull Awareness Day.
From pit bulls to puggles, all are welcome to romp around Voice of America Park
Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. There will be raffles, vendors, kids activities and
appearances from the Ben-Gals and Cincinnati Rollergirls.

International Quilt Festival, Second Saturday events, Pyramid Hill anniversary and more

Happy Friday the 13th, Crystal Lake campers! Be sure to avoid shady, hockey-masked characters and remember, if you have sex, you die. Here's what's happening this weekend.

Pop culture icon and Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner is in town for one night only this evening. Touring with his one-man show, Shatner's World: We Just Live in It, The Shat will perform at the Aronoff Center tonight at 8 p.m. Fans will get to hear about his life and career on television, film and stage, with plenty of music and video clips. Fun fact: the famous phrase "Beam me up, Scotty" was never actually said in Star Trek's original run. Get last-minute tickets here.

Hamilton's Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park celebrates its 15th anniversary tonight. Swing by the park at 6 p.m. to enjoy cake, see a new Jim Borgman poster and check out the first exhibit in the park's Ancient Sculpture Museum. Admission is $15; call 513-868-8336 to reserve your spot.

The International Quilt Festival takes over Duke Energy Convention Center Friday-Sunday. The event features textile exhibits, hundreds of vendors selling books, patterns and fabrics, lectures and tons of classes for all levels of quilters. Single-day tickets are $10 ($8 for students and seniors); most classes cost extra.

Mount Adams' Second Saturday Art Walk kicks off this weekend from noon-6 p.m. Enjoy music, food and drinks at popular Mount Adams businesses, bars and restaurants like The Rookwood, Daveed's, Pavilion and Teak. More than 100 artist will have works on display across the neighborhood. The event continues every second Saturday through June. Northside also celebrates Second Saturdays with extended hours, sales, drink/food specials and fun from 6-10 p.m. Participating businesses include Mayday, Thunder-Sky, Inc., Chicken Lays an Egg, Melt, NVision and more! Find more info here.

The Cincinnati Museum Center's Passport to the World series continues this month with Asian Culture Fest Saturday and Sunday. "Visit" India, Japan, Taiwan and other Asian countries without leaving Cincinnati! There will be taekwondo, karate and dance demonstrations, movie screenings, craft projects and plenty of kids activities. The event is free with museum admission. While you're there, check out A Day in Pompeii.

Check out our To Do page and music blog for more theater shows, art exhibits, concerts and other fun events this weekend.

Kick off the
weekend with some shopping you can feel good about at Ten Thousand Villages’
tenth anniversary event. The O’Bryonville retail store specializes in fair trade
gifts, home décor and accessories from around the world. Ten Thousand Villages
works with artisan groups from 38 countries and is a founding member of the
World Fair Trade Organization. On Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., conscientious
shoppers will get to hear stories about artisan groups from Uganda,
Bangladesh and Guatemala throughout the day as belly dancers and musicians
perform around the space, all while receiving 10% off purchases. Find a full
event schedule and learn more about Ten Thousand Villages here.

Sardonic
storyteller extraordinaire David Sedaris stops by the Aronoff Saturday. The
author and humorist is known for his collections of personal essays and
contributions to National Public Radio, all of which feature his sarcastic,
self-deprecating and always hilarious commentary on everything from working as
a Macy’s Christmas elf to the mind-numbing ways people order coffee. Sedaris
will also sign books at the event. Joseph-Beth Booksellers will be on hand
selling a selection of his works; attendees are also welcome to bring their
favorite Sedaris read from home. Tickets are still available here.

What better way to
top that off than with Tony Valentine’s Girls Night Out?The Cuffs and Collars tour featuring
former Chippendales dancers takes over Pulse Nightclub 7-10 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Wear your jammies for the club’s
daylight savings pajama party and dance to music from Playboy’s DJ Sophia Lin.
I know what you’re thinking, and yes, Sedaris is rumored to make an appearance.
(No he’s not.)

Japp’s is
reinventing Sunday Funday by hosting a comfort food cook-off each month
starting with this Sunday’s grilled cheese throwdown.Local home chefs will whip up some delicious hangover
grub to be tasted by the public and judged by area food bloggers, 11 a.m.-8
p.m. The grilled cheese cook-off will go down in the annex between 1-2 p.m.
Keep an eye out for more future comfort food cook-offs featuring chili, tacos
and omelettes.Yes, please.

If you missed your
chance to get tickets to Obama’s Sunday rally, or just want to escape politics
altogether (Abigael, we feel you) head out to the Kings Island Resort and Conference Center for the Cin City
Reptile Show.
At least none of these creepy guys will lecture you about reproductive rights
or the war on coal.

Check out our calendar for more music, theater, arts and bar events happening this weekend.

I hope you got some rest last night, because you're not going to want to miss all there is to do this weekend for a little thing called "sleep."

Anyone who the first FAR-I-ROME-produced Turntables 'n' Snares last year knows how crazy amazing it was. Local bands teamed up with live DJs to create exciting, often improvised mash-ups on stage. Tonight at The Mockbee T-N-S returns with eight bands, eight DJs, Bunk News and artists to create one giant night of mixed media entertainment that blurs genres. Go here to get the full lineup.

If you dig on grub from unda da sea but hate pricey, uptight restaurants, hit up the Great Inland Seafood Festival at Newport on the Levee. Get your fill of shrimp, grabs, oysters at an affordable price - like $10.95 for a whole Maine Lobster affordable. OK, now the Little Mermaid reference seems kind of fucked up. This sealicious fest runs daily through Sunday. Get more info here.

Head over to Southgate House Saturday for the release of Shiny and the Spoon's Ferris Wheel. The Cincinnati-based Folk/Pop trio will celebrate their debut album with The Hiders, Rubber Knife Gang and Lisa Walker. Read an interview with the crew here. If you just can't wait to get your ukulele on, go here for a teaser of the album.

Most people know Cincinnati hosts a tennis tournament each summer but few know the Western & Southern Open is one of the oldest in the US still played in its original city. Starting Saturday and running through Aug. 21, fans can get up close and personal with greats like Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters. Go here for tournament info and here to read about the history of this great sporting event.

Chicken Lays an Egg's Best of Cincinnati staff pick stamp of approval says it all: Best Quirky Personality For a Vintage Resale Shop. This Northside gem offers everything from vintage men's and women's clothing, to one-of-a-kind housewares, to handmade accessories and much more. Going to a '60s Tiki Luau-themed party? You'll be able to find a full ensemble sure to get you voted best dressed, all for a killer price. It's awesome. And Saturday, the Chickens are producing their first official fashion show at one of the most beautiful venues in Cincy - Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine. In addition to some fierce fashions, there will be DJs, showcased artwork, signature cocktails by Molly Wellman, a photo booth and dance party. Oh, and it's free. Yeah, I'll see you there.

NST's back room will transform into a runway where you'll watch some local hottie patotties strut their stuff with hair designs by Northside Chop Shop. Kenneth Wright will DJ the show and ongoing dance party.

Spot someone with the best moves you've ever seen? Send them a message via the valentine post office, and pose for pictures in a fabulous Flashbox photo booth. It all starts at 9 p.m., with the fashion show at 10 p.m.

Afterward, party with Bad Veins, who perform at 11 p.m. The duo's album The Mess We've Made drops April 24.

Get a peek at Chicken's fashion in Bad Veins' new video for "Dancing on TV." Some of the ensembles in the Soul Train-esque shots were provided by the boutique!